Mercedes’ new F1 motor hits 50% thermal efficiency

Mercedes-AMG has achieved yet another breakthrough in furthering development of the internal combustion engine, this time achieving a 50% thermal efficiency rating for its Formula One engine. The figure was achieved during a dyno test and not on a racetrack.

For the layman, this essentially means the new engine has a better power-to-waste ratio. That’s right, waste. The thermal efficiency of an engine is determined by the amount of energy it can extract from fuel. The average thermal efficiency for a regular internal combustion engine is between 20% to 30%, with Toyota and Hyundai boasting a 40% figure for its engines in the Prius and Ioniq respectively.

This Mercedes F1 engine – which is a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 – was commissioned for duty in 2014 and has proven itself to be a reliable and competent performer since then. It is now the most efficient engine of them all.

The Mercedes-AMG Project One which recently made its grand debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show also uses a broadly similar 1.6 litre W06 Hybrid unit with a thermal efficiency rating of 43%. The engine makes over 1,000 hp, propelling the car from 0 to 200 km/h in under six seconds and reportedly maxes out over 350 km/h.

An ardent believer that fun cars need not be fast and fast cars may not always be fun. Matt advocates the purity and simplicity of manually swapping cogs while coping in silence of its impending doom. Matt's not hot. Never hot.

McLaren don’t really have a choice because both Mercedes and Ferrari (the top two engine makers) declined to provide it with engines. Renault is the only other engine that doesn’t suck more than Honda…

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